title: The effects of exposure to titanium dioxide nanoparticles during lactation period on learning and memory of rat offspring.
abstract: Nanoscale titanium dioxide (TiO2), which is massively produced and widely used in living environment, seems to have a potential risk on human health. The central nervous system (CNS) is the potential susceptible target of nanoparticles, but the studies on this aspect are limited so far. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of exposure to TiO2 nanoparticles during lactation period on learning and memory of offspring. Lactating Wistar rats were exposed to TiO2 nanoparticles (100 mg/kg; gavage) for 21 days. The Morris water maze and passive avoidance tests showed that the exposure to TiO2 nanoparticles could significantly impair the memory and learning in the offspring. Therefore, the application of TiO2 nanoparticles and the effects of their exposure, especially during developmental period on human brain should be cautious.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Islamic Republic of Iran.
authors.forename: Abbas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mohammadipour
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Neurocognitive Research Center, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Islamic Republic of Iran hosseinim@mums.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Mahmoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hosseini
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Islamic Republic of Iran.
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fazel
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Islamic Republic of Iran.
authors.forename: Hossein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Haghir
authors.affiliation: Immunology Research Center, Buali Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Islamic Republic of Iran.
authors.forename: Houshang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rafatpanah
authors.affiliation: Applied Physiology Research Center, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Islamic Republic of Iran.
authors.forename: Masoume
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pourganji
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Islamic Republic of Iran.
authors.forename: Alireza Ebrahimzadeh
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Bideskan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D007774:Lactation; D008297:Male; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects*; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: C009495:titanium dioxide; D014025:Titanium
keywords: Morris water maze; Titanium dioxide nanoparticles; maternal; memory and learning; passive avoidance; rat